Chapter 6 - Tides-The Key To Good Fishing

We had been fishing from a boat for porgies, and these pan fish of the sea were providing fast action. The minute the sinker hit bottom, the clam bait would be grabbed and a quick lift of the rod tip would set the hook. Then the porgies would be reeled to the top—we had many "double-headers," two porgies at the same time on one line. Most of the boats around us were also catching them. Then suddenly, as if on a given signal, they stopped biting and our baited hooks stayed in the water without so much as a nibble. I noticed that the other boats in the area weren't doing anything either.

"What happened? Looks like they've either stopped biting or gone away," one of the anglers on our boat remarked.

I glanced at my watch and then said, "We might as well have something to eat. There won't be anything doing for at least an hour."

"How come? How do you know when they'll start biting again?" my friend asked.

"It's slack water. Porgies usually bite best when the tide is running," I explained.

So we sat down and had a leisurely lunch while waiting for the tide to change and start coming in again. About an hour later we resumed fishing and the porgies started biting with their former zest and rapidity.

Another time I was fishing for striped bass with an expert surf angler up in Rhode Island. The ocean was like glass-flat, calm and with no sign of fish. The sun was rising higher and it didn't look too good. In fact, I was beginning to have my doubts about catching any striped bass that day.

"It doesn't look like there will be anything doing today," I commented.

"Don't you worry. Just wait another half-hour or so. They'll show!" my expert friend stated with authority. Sure enough, about a half-hour later the whole ocean seemed to erupt with feeding stripers and we enjoyed some fast fishing.

"How did you know when they would show up?" I asked the old-time surf angler. "It was easy. I was here yesterday morning when they showed under the same water conditions. So I merely added one hour more to yesterday's appearance to account for the later tide today!"

It sounds like black magic but a thorough knowledge of tides and their influence on fishing in your area pays big dividends. It's one key to success in salt-water fishing. Charter-boat captains and fishing guides know this and make a close study of tides, currents and their effects on the fishing in their areas.

Many casual salt-water anglers, on the other hand, pay little attention to the tides and currents and then wonder why they don't catch as many fish as the other guy does. Still other anglers realize that tides have some effect upon their fishing, but they do not know why this is so or exactly how tides influence the fishing. Such anglers often waste precious hours casting, trolling or sinker bouncing when the  tide is wrong.  But the  salt-water angler who knows tides can pick the favorable fishing periods in advance and concentrate his efforts during such times. It means fewer wasted days and more fish on the beach or in the boat.

We won't go into the science of tides here except to mention that tides are caused by the gravitational forces of both the moon and the sun. The moon, being nearer the earth than the sun has the greater influence on the earth's waters. When the tide rises the water moves toward land and it is then known as the flood tide. When it drops and moves back to sea it is called the ebb tide. The "slack" tide is the period when the tide moves neither way. It takes about 6 hours for the tide to go from low to high and 6 hours from high to low. Every 24 hours the tides occur approximately 50 minutes later.

Tides play a big part in surf fishing. At low tide surf anglers usually go out to the end of a jetty for the best fishing.

Tides also vary in the degrees to which they rise or drop. When the moon and sun are on the same side of the earth in a direct line the combined influence causes the highest tides. These are known as the spring tides and occur during the full-moon and new-moon periods. At this time the tides are both higher and lower than usual in a given area. During the first quarter and last quarter phases of the moon the tides do not rise or fall as much. These are known as the neap tides.

Tides are important to all salt-water fishermen, but no group studies them as intensely as the surf anglers. These hard-working men with the long sticks know that tides are vital in surf fishing. Most veteran surf anglers "fish the tides": They go out when they believe a certain stage of the tide is most favorable for the area being fished. Usually they have acquired this information the hard way: through "trial-and-error" fishing of a certain area for many years. They get so they can often predict in advance which tides are best for a given location.

Naturally the novice surf angler fishing a new area doesn't have this information and can't put it to use. However, there are helpful tips and general rules about tides which can be applied to surf fishing. For example, as in boat fishing, a moving tide or current is usually more productive than no tide or current. So you'll find that "slack" water rarely provides good fishing in the surf.

The start of the incoming tide is one of the most productive periods for surf fishing, especially for such gamesters as striped bass, bluefish, weakfish and channel bass. During slack water smaller bait fish often tend to scatter, and with no strong currents they can swim fast and escape the larger fish. But when the tide starts to move, these small bait fish are at the mercy of the strong currents and rips. Then the stripers and other game fish find them easier to catch. The start of the outgoing tide is also good for the same reason. In fact, the so-called change of tide, whether it occurs at low water or high water, is the time to be down at the beach casting.

When using artificial lures in the surf, I personally prefer low tides to high tides. At least that is when I have made my best catches, especially of striped bass. My belief is that at this point the bait fish are more concentrated in small areas such as holes, channels, sloughs and similar deep-water spots. Larger game fish also tend to gather to feed on these concentrations of bait fish. So at low tide they are actively feeding and easier to locate. Also the low tides produce more white water on the sand bars, mussel bars, rocky reefs and boulders. The crashing of the waves over these shallow-water spots creates a surf and makes it easier to fool fish such as stripers, channel bass and others.

However, when the tide drops and gets too low, there may not be enough water on the sand bars, rocky reefs and mussel beds to float a good-sized fish. At such times, it is often possible to wade out on the bars and fish the outer edge where there is deeper water.

When fishing near an inlet emptying into the surf, I've had my best fishing in the last of the outgoing tide and start of the incoming. The water moving out often sweeps schools of bait fish along and the incoming waves crashing against this current creates a turmoil which makes easy pickings for larger game fish.

When surf fishing where there are rock jetties, you will also have good results when the tide is low. Most jetties of this kind are broken up, and at high tide they are covered with water and too dangerous to fish because of the waves. So at high tide I usually fish from the beach itself or on the back of the jetty. But after the tide has dropped I move out on the jetty and work toward the front when it is safe. Near low water, the end of the jetty is usually best since you can cast out into deeper water.

Along rocky shores such as those found in Rhode Island, parts of Massachusetts and at Montauk, New York, the formation of the shoreline governs which tide is most productive. Here, for example, you'll often find coves and rocky reefs which are exposed or barely covered at low tide. Such spots are usually best when the tide is near its high point. If there are scattered boulders which are partly exposed, the best tides here are usually those which produce white water when the waves crash over these rocks. Striped bass like to lie on the shore side of such boulders. Then there are rocky points and rock or mussel bars which run out into deeper water a good distance. These are usually best when the tide is near its low point and you can wade out on them.

Surf anglers who know certain areas and how they are affected by the different stages of the tide can often fish two or three spots during one tide. For example, I remember fishing in Rhode Island one fall and catching five stripers near the Pt. Judith lighthouse. It was high tide and this spot produces well under these conditions especially when there is rough surf. Then, after the tide dropped, I drove down to Charlestown Beach a few miles to the west and caught ten more striped bass. Here there's an inlet, and the best fishing usually takes place between half tide and low water.

Surf anglers aren't the only ones who can take advantage of the different stages of the tide. Bridge fishermen, too, can work the trick of hitting the best spots at the right time and tide. Some bridge fishermen in the Miami, Florida, area are past masters at this game. This is especially true of those who seek gamesters such as ladyfish and snook. Ladyfish like to feed under bridges at the start of the outgoing tide. Since this stage of the tide may be early at one bridge and later at another, the anglers fish one bridge, then jump into their cars and head for the next one where the tide is a bit later. A real expert at this game can often work several bridges in one night and get action at each one.

Much the same thing can be done by the angler fishing tidal creeks for such fish as striped bass and weakfish. On the incoming tide the smart angler can move and change his location from one spot to another, following the tide as it increases in strength and creates eddies and rips at different places. Then, on the outgoing tide, he can work his way back over the same river or tidal creek. Points of land or rocks, sandbars, partly sunken boulders, islands, piers, rock and bridge pilings can be fished on one end or side during the incoming tide and on the opposite end or side on the outgoing tide.

In southern waters such as those in Florida—especially the area around the Everglades and the Ten Thousand Islands —the tides play a big part in the fishing. If you are seeking snook or tarpon in this maze of mangroves, winding creeks and channels, you'd better know your tides. They run in all directions and the channels are so complicated that the tide may vary in different places by three hours or more. If you come too early you may not find enough water for fishing or even to float your boat. If you wait too long in some places you can find yourself stranded and may have to wait for high tide again. As a general rule the best fishing in the Everglades takes place around high water, when the mangrove roots are covered. Then snook like to lie among the roots under the trees. At the lower tides they drop back to channels and holes, where they can often be caught.

Anglers who fish for bonefish in the Florida Keys pay close attention to the tides and usually begin fishing at the start of the incoming tide.

Or take bone fishing. Every bone Sherman knows that the best time to go after these fish is when the tide starts to come in and cover the flats. Then the white ghosts move in singly, in pairs or small schools, seeking the crabs, worms and shellfish found on the flats. They move against the tide, as most fish do when actively feeding. The outgoing tide is often good for bonefish, but when the tide is near low your best chances of catching bonefish is in the deeper water along the edges of flats or channels.

Even when you are fishing offshore in salt water, your chances may be affected by the tides. When you are chumming at anchor for tuna, albacore, bonito, bluefish and similar fish there should be a tide running. If the tide is slack, the chum sinks straight down under the boat and rarely attracts the game fish. But a running tide carries the chum away from the boat. The tide also forms a slick and carries tidbits to fish which may be in the area, as well as giving the bait some movement and catching the attention of the fish. On the other hand, too strong a tide will often kill the fishing by floating the chum too fast and too far away from the boat and causing the baited hook to ride too near the surface.

Finally, a salt-water angler familiar with tides and how they affect the area he is fishing can often predict good fishing periods well in advance. By consulting the tide and current tables ahead of time he can tell when a certain spot will have the stage of tide which produces best for that area. Thus he can pinpoint, days, weeks and even months in advance, the time and place he will do his fishing. Although many newspapers and some magazines print tide tables, the best source for this information is the Tide Tables and Current Tables, prepared and issued by the U. S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. These two books can be bought in many marine supply houses or they can be obtained from the U. S. Government Printing Office in Washington, D. C.

It's surprising how many salt-water anglers go fishing without even knowing when high tide or low tide occurs. They act as if tides make little or no difference in salt-water fishing. Such anglers waste many hours fishing at the wrong time when they could concentrate their efforts on the best tidal periods and catch more fish in less time.

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